Washington Lawyer - November/December 2021 - 26

FEATURE
Ejaz Baluch Jr.
U.S. Department of Justice
Julia Quinn
U.S. Department of Justice
give the client so far, with the support and guidance of their mentor,
Graham-Watanabe. On top of that, they've gained court hearing experience
and inspired another team of attorneys at DOJ to volunteer.
" The work that we do at DOJ is very different from the day-to-day litigation
we provide with the pro bono cases. It takes a lot of incredible skills.
Being in court takes stamina and juggling. Our practice is so national, but
it's nice to be in a local court in D.C., " Quinn says.
" Partnering with Ejaz has been fun, and it has taken some of the anxiety
out of handling a housing matter, which I had not litigated prior to this
pro bono case, " Quinn adds. " It has been reassuring to know that I have
someone I trust working alongside me, and it has allowed us to divvy up
some of the work, as well. "
THE BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK
Family law was brand new and at first intimidating to Yvette Banker, a
staff attorney with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, when she
teamed up with Kerry Loring of the Office of the General Counsel at the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on a complex pro bono custody
case. The two relied on each
other to take on what became
a tough and emotional custody
battle.
" Yvette was a calming influence
for me. I tend to get
worked up, especially during
a hearing, " says Loring, an
attorney with the VA for 25
years. " She was stabilizing. I felt
like she always had my back. If
I missed something, she'd fill
in. We complemented each
other. "
In this particular case, a father
had filed for custody of his
youngest children after a
serious car accident involving
Paul Smollar
Kuder, Smollar, Friedman
& Mihalik, P.C.
Ashley Graham-Watanabe
Neighborhood Legal Services
Program
One of the benefits
of pro bono work is
it affords attorneys
the opportunity to
try a new area of
the law and serve
a different client
base.
their mother. It seemed an open and shut case until an extended family
member intervened, complicating matters. Over nearly seven months,
the attorneys endured a bumpy road convincing the judge that the
father should retain custody of his own children.
Thankfully, they had Paul Smollar of Kuder, Smollar, Friedman & Mihalik,
P.C., a family law attorney for 40 years and a Pro Bono Center mentor for
more than a decade. Smollar instilled confidence in them when they
needed it most and eased their concerns.
" This was a tough case, and they really dug in on it, " Smollar says. " They
had some challenging issues, not only in the law but also dealing with
the courts. They were just eager; they wanted to understand and [were]
really committed to the representation. "
While this was also Loring's first family law case, her expertise as a
seasoned attorney proved an advantage. " We were able to utilize Kerry's
years of experience, so if we had brief writing, she reviewed the work, "
says Banker, who earned her law degree in 2016. " We could bounce ideas
off each other for arguments we were going to make. It was the most
beneficial aspect of working with co-counsel. "
Yvette Banker
Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corporation
26 WASHINGTON LAWYER * NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
Kerry Loring
U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2021

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